Oaul Jaboulet Aine (La Chapelle etc.), Rhone Valley with Tasting notes

PAUL JABOULET AINÉ

Ask anyone to name the most famous wine in the Rhône valley and the unanimous answer will be Paul Jaboulet Ainé's Hermitage La Chapelle. I would go further. La Chapelle is one of the great red wines of the world, comparable in its own way with first growth claret, the very top domaines in Burgundy and anything any other country or region may have to offer. Production naturally is small. The whole of the hill of Hermitage measures only 134 ha and produces under 4000 hl of red wine (plus just under 1000 hectolitres of white), only a little more than one of the very large Bordeaux estates; and the amount of La Chapelle is less than one fifth of this, say 7500 cases. Moreover the wine is almost impossible to buy mature, particularly as it is one of the slowest developing wines in the world. It is a growth, therefore, that all wine-lovers should snap up early, particularly as en primeur prices are generous compared with first growth Bordeaux, let alone comparable Burgundy. With the arrival of a splendid 1998 to follow a very good 1997, a fine 1996 and 1995, La Chapelle fans have much to be enthusiastic about, for even in the lesser years the wine is very good, while in the great vintages, such as these, it is fantastic.

HISTORY

According to Jonathan Livingstone-Learmonth (The Wine of the Rhône, Faber), Tain L'Hermitage was already a thriving vineyard in Roman times, and the wine, then known as Tegna, is mentioned not only by Pliny, who wrote about agricultural matters in his Natural History in A.D. 77, but in Martial's Epigrams, which seem to indicate that it enjoyed more than a local fame. This is a part of France which is rich in Roman ruins. From Arles and Nîmes in the south to Vienne and even Lyon in the north, the Rhône valley abound in antiquities, and in Tain there is an ancient altar, known as a Taurobole, that was used for the sacrifice of bulls to the god Mithras. Phocaean Greeks are said to have introduced the cultivated vine to the south of France in about the sixth century B.C., but it was the arrival of the Romans which gave the impetus to organised viticulture.

Looming about the bustling town of Tain, rugged and bleak in the winter, and the colour of rhinoceros hide, is the granite hill of Hermitage. There are many legends accounting for the origin of this name. Without a scrap of evidence to support their claims, James Joyce and Maurice Healy, both Irish, each aver that the site was a resting place for Saint Patrick, on his way to convert the Irish to Christianity. Another account, which I had not heard until I read the Livingstone-Learmonth book, was of a Christian priest who was fleeing from the Romans. He took refuge on the hill and was supplied with food by the wild animals around him. There was nothing to drink, however, so the good Lord intervened and send down a band of angelic growers with vines which produced wine overnight. (As is well known, the author points out, all vignerons eventually find their way to paradise).

The best known story is of the holy knight Gaspard de Stérimberg. Stérimberg was wounded in a crusade against the Albigensian heretics in 1224, and, disgusted with the follies of his fellow mortals, was granted permission by Queen Blanche of Castille, mother of Saint Louis, the French king, to settle on the barren hill of Hermitage and build himself there a small chapel of retreat, wherein he would pray for the souls of his fellow men. In due course, bored with a solely monastic life, he decided to plant vines on the steep slopes surrounding him. The reputation of the excellence of this wine spread fast, and the local peasants soon began to cultivate the remaining sections of the hill.

Perhaps one of these was an early member of the Jaboulet family, for little is known about their origins. Precious documents were lost in a fire during the French revolution. The only information we have is that they were already owners of vineyards in Hermitage before 1834, approximately the date their négociant business started trading, and that the family is local, or at least from no further away than Vienne. Antoine Jaboulet (1807-1864) was born at Tain. His twin sons, Henri and Paul (both 1846-1892) expanded the firm, named after Paul, the elder (ainé) by a matter of minutes. Now, of course, it is one of the most prestigious négociants in the Rhône valley and sells to almost every wine drinking country in the world.

From the retirement of his father, the late Louis, until his untimely death at the age of 55 in August 1997, the P.D.G. (Président Directeur Général) was Gérard Jaboulet, sixth generation since Antoine. Gérard and his wife Odile only had daughters. The Jaboulet team is now led by Michel, Gérard's cousin. Jacques, Gérard's brother, makes the wine. Philippe, Michel's brother, is in charge in the vineyards. The next generation, Nicolas, Laurent and Frédéric, are already involved, it being the former who is in charge of the UK market and the latter who looks after the USA.

The wines of the Jaboulet firm are indeed excellent, yardstick examples of their kind, and I do not begrudge the firm its success. I just wish, selfishly, that there was a little more La Chapelle to go round, and that it were possible to pick up a twenty-year-old bottle as easily as a 1970 claret.

VITICULTURE

By a quirk of geography the hill of Hermitage is comprised of a granite base over which lies a thin layer of decomposed flint and chalk, odd because the surrounding countryside is a mixture of limestone and clay. The explanation for this is that originally the river Rhône ran its course to the east of Hermitage. Geologically the hill is therefore part of the right bank of the valley, and, indeed, it shares the same soil structure as Saint-Joseph and Côte Rôtie. At some stage, however, the river changed its direction, leaving Hermitage isolated on the left, eastern bank.

Moreover the hill dominates a bend in the river. Before Tain, the river is flowing due south. Once past, it flows east for a kilometre or so before correcting itself. This leaves the prime vineyards of the granite hill of Hermitage with an exposure which is due south, and bathed in sunlight from dawn to dusk.

The vignoble is sub-divided into a number of climats, or individual vineyards, most themselves split between a number of owners. Each site produces wine which varies subtly from the others, and most growers and négociants make a wine which is a careful blend originating from a number of different plots.

In Topographie de tous les Vignobles Connus (1816), A. Jullien listed the three best climats: Les Bessards, at the western end of the hill, producing a full, sturdy wine; Le Méal, next door, with a deeper layer of flint and chalk, producing a wine of fine perfume; and Les Greffieux, below Le Méal, making generous, supple wine. The ideal Hermitage was said to be a blend of these three.

Paul Jaboulet Ainé own 25 out of the 130 hectares of vine on the hill of Hermitage, including the land on which lies the tiny, dilapidated chapel of Saint-Christophe near the top of the hill, and from which they take the of their most famous wine. 20.5 of these hectares are planted with the red wine producing Syrah grape and those which traditionally produce La Chapelle lie in Le Méal (6 ha in total) and Les Bessards (19 ha) climats. The remaining 4.5 ha grow the Marsanne and Roussanne varieties from which they make their celebrated white Hermitage, Le Chevalier de Stérimberg. The vines are replaced when they are 65 to 70 years old; thus maintaining an average age of 35 years or so.

Cultivation on the steep hill is a problem. Though spraying these days is done by helicopter, Philippe Jaboulet still reckons on one labourer per hectare on the hill rather than one per ten hectares on the flatter Crozes vineyards. The terrain is steep and the fragile layer of top soil has to be protected within terraces, or too much would be washed away every time there was a thunderstorm. Machines are just beginning to be evolved which can work the soil efficiently, some of which have been invented by the Jaboulets themselves, but much of the ploughing is still done using horses and mules.

The Syrah is pruned to a strict single Guyot and, on the steepest parts of Hermitage, trained up a single stake to help protect it against the strong Mistral winds. On the flatter land the vines can be trained along wires to form the traditional hedge aspect familiar in Bordeaux or Burgundy.

THE MAKING OF LA CHAPELLE

The harvest of the Syrah grape normally commences about two-thirds of the way through September, after the white wine varieties have been picked, and takes a fortnight. Care has been taken because the vines in the different climats mature at different intervals. Otherwise you could have cleared the whole 30ha in five days.

It used to be the practice for the Jaboulets to retain a percentage of the stems in the fermentation. It all depends on the thickness of the skins and the length of time they could prolong the cuvaison. Gradually since 1964, when temperature-control was introduced, and invariably since 1988 the grapes have been 100 percent de-stemmed before they are/BEING crushed. Fermentation takes place in glass-lined concrete vats in the old Jaboulet's cellars in Tain (bottling, despatch and administration is in a modern complex at La Roche de Glun, a few kilometres south on the N7). For two or three days the temperature is allowed to rise - as it will, naturally, for fermentation is an exothermic reaction - to 30°C, in order to extract the maximum amount of colour. Thereafter the vats are cooled to 26-28°C and the cuvaison, during which the juice is in contact with the skins, continues for three or even four weeks. By this time the fermentation has finished. The wine is racked off into a clean vat, and the remaining pulp is pressed. Only the wine from the first press, which is very slow and gentle, hardly more than a nudge, is returned to the free-flow wine.

As soon as the malo-lactic fermentation is complete the wine is racked a second time (up to 1987 it was also filtered with kieselguhr; but this has now been discontinued), and put into oak barrels. Thereafter, apart from occasional rackings, to separate the wine from the lees of dead yeast cells and tartrates which naturally separate out, what has now become Hermitage La Chapelle is interfered with as little as possible. There is no filtration before bottling. This normally takes place a year after the vintage. Exceptional years, such as the 1990, are bottled later than lighter vintages.

In most years all the Hermitage Jaboulet produce is sold as La Chapelle. Exceptionally, in weaker vintages such as 1992 and 1993, some of the lesser vats are rejected and appear as simple Hermitage.

The Jaboulets are very specific about the oak they use for maturing, not only La Chapelle, but all their red wines. They are wary of new oak. La Chapelle is matured in one third new oak, from François Frères in Burgundy, and two-thirds older wood. Up to 1988 La Chapelle saw no new wood at all. One year old casks were acquired from leading Burgundy growers, some, such as those from Sauzet and Leflaive (with whom, I imagine, the Jaboulets did a certain amount of swapping of wines) who made predominantly white wines. These casks had therefore been broken in, so to speak, but were as young as second year casks can be. A barrel which had previously held new claret or another new red Rhône wine would be significantly more "used".

THE WINE

Hermitage La Chapelle is one of the fullest, densest and richest wines in the world. It is also one of the longest lived. When young the colour is immense, a solid, viscous, almost black purple that continues to the very rim of the glass. The nose is leafy, with an undercurrent of unripe blackcurrants and though the new oak percentage is small, the effect is clearly discernable. The wine is full-bodied and very tannic; strong, powerful, and alcoholic, but not fiery; clean as a whistle, without anything robust or spicy about it despite the "size" of the wine.

Hermitage La Chapelle rarely matures before its tenth birthday. The exceptional 1978 is still barely mature. The brilliant 1990 still needs 10 years. The 1961 remains incredibly vigorous after 38. Twenty years is par for the course for the very best vintages, and they will keep for a further twenty or more thereafter. A 1929 Hermitage of unknown origin, from the celebrated Vannier collection, and a wine I was privileged to see on more than one occasion, was merely middle aged, without a hint of decay, after 50 years. I also had the opportunity of sampling an 1825 Hermitage at a Heublein pre-auction tasting in 1981. The wine was still vigorous and recognisably Syrah.

When mature, La Chapelle is not just an impressive glass of wine: it is nectar. The backbone, of course, remains, but the wine within the structure is rich, ample, profound and aromatic, with a depth of flavour and a concentration of character that has few rivals. The fruit is now a ripe and subtle combination of blackcurrant and blackberry with a hint of raspberry, all underpinned by a slightly baked smell, as if the wine could remember its origins as the sun slowly heated up the granite day after day as the grapes ripened. What I find breathtaking about La Chapelle is the extraordinary retention of fresh, ripe fruit, in a wine like the 1961 or the 1966, or the magnificent 1949. These are wines which are seemingly ageless.

The 1998 is more than promising, and will be released early in 2000. Readers, reserve your allocations quick!

THE TASTING

I sampled the following Hermitage La Chapelle vintages at La Roche-de-Glun in October 2004.

Optimum

Drinking

Hermitage La Chapelle, 2002 2007-2012

Medium colour. Lightish, slightly lean nose. It got more generous as it evolved. Medium weight. Balanced and stylish. Decent fruit. But a small wine. Forward.

Hermitage La Chapelle, 2001 2013-2040

Full colour. Firm, rich, roasted spices nose. Lots of exotic wood. Full and meaty. Adolescent at present. Full bodied, vigorous, rich and tannic on the palate. Very good grip. Fat. Lots of depth here. At present it is difficult to see the elegance. But the finish is long and abundant. Surely fine plus.

Hermitage La Chapelle, 2000 2010-2030

Medium-full colour. Ripe, succulent, blackcurrant leaf Syrah nose. Very good grip. Medium-full body. Lovely plump fruit. Excellent balance. Very pure and very lovely. A classic. Very long and complex. Fine.

Hermitage La Chapelle, 1998 2006-2020

Medium-full colour. A little brown at the rim. Some gentle evolution on the nose. Plump, balanced Syrah fruit here. Composed and elegant. Medium-full weight. Just a little tannin. Ripe and soft and laid-back. Quite intense but not aggressive. Subtle and long. Very good indeed. Will come round soon.

Hermitage La Chapelle, 1997 2006-2012

Fullish colour. The colour is now evolving. Very ripe on the nose. Rich and exotic. Sweet and almost over-ripe. Medium-full body. Not much tannin. But not much grip either. This is rich but not really very elegant and it won't age gracefully. Good at best.

Hermitage La Chapelle, 1996 2007-2030

Fullish colour. Only a little evolution. Rich, creamy nose. Lovely ripe old viney fruit. A very relaxed wine. Nothing aggressive here. Full bodied, fresh and very harmonious. Excellent grip. The tannins now just about softened. Very long. Very lovely. Will last very, very well. Fine plus.

Hermitage La Chapelle, 1995 2009-2030

Full colour. Still very youthful. Firm, tannic nose. A very full bodied wine, slightly burly at present. Still some tannin. But plenty of fruit and lots of energy. Very good grip. Lots of substance here. Lovely finish. Rich and multi-dimensional. Fine plus. It needs time. Still very, very young.

Hermitage La Chapelle, 1991 Now-2011

Fullish colour. No great sign of maturity. Quite soft on the nose though. Quite ripe. Quite stylish. Medium to medium-full weight. Decently balanced and decently fruity without any great depth, complexity or class. But a wine of charm which is now ready. Good.

Hermitage La Chapelle, 1990 2008-2050

Very full, youthful colour. Marvellous nose. Rich, concentrated, profound and very distinguished. Now getting accessible. Full body. Still very vigorous, if not powerful. Intense. Still a bit of tannin. Fine grip. Very concentrated fruit. The complete Hermitage. Very, very long. Still needs three or four years at least. Excellent.

Hermitage La Chapelle, 1989 Now-2020+

Fine, vigorous colour. Just about mature. Ripe, aromatic nose. Roast chestnut and exotic wood with rich, creamy fruit underneath. Fullish bodied, plump and balanced. Just about ready. Succulent and seductive. But fresh and with a fine long finish. Fine.

Hermitage La Chapelle, 1988 Now-2030

Medium-full, mature colour. Slightly austere on the nose. Very good acidity. Nice pure Syrah fruit. But a slight lack of generosity. Firmer than the 1989. More grip. Fullish body. Very classic. No lack of attraction. Long. A point. Fine too, in its own way. But quite different from the 1989.

Hermitage La Chapelle, 1985 Now-2015

Fullish, now mature colour. Interesting, spicy nose. Mocha and caramel. Now fully evolved. Medium-full body. Good plump attack. A little lacking grip at the very end but ripe, plump and attractive. Fully ready. Very good indeed.

Hermitage La Chapelle, 1983 2006-2026

Fullish colour. Still vigorous. Still a little tight on the nose. Less evolved, it would seem, than 1989, 1988 or 1985. Fullish bodied, sturdy, rich and with very good grip on the palate. Still some tannin. Still a little solid. You can see the evidence of vinifying with the stems (which they don't now). Slightly rigid. Still needs time. Fine.

Hermitage La Chapelle, 1982 Now-2018

Medium-full, fully evolved colour. Ripe, fresh, open and attractive on the nose. Medium-full body. Plump and fresh. The tannins are not as sophisticated as in the best of recent vintages. But good, well-balanced fruit. Long. A wine for food. Very good plus.

Hermitage La Chapelle, 1979 Now-2012

Medium-full, surprisingly vigorous colour. No undue age. Soft and fruity if a little loose-knit on the nose. Medium to medium-full body. Fresh and fruity. Long and positive if only of medium concentration. An attractive wine. Very good plus.

Hermitage La Chapelle, 1978 Now-2030+

Fine colour. Still very youthful. Marvellous complex, profound, very fresh nose. Full bodied. Excellent depth and concentration. Excellent grip. Very vigorous still. Multi-dimensional. This is a great wine. Quite splendid!

Hermitage La Chapelle, 1966 Now-2020

Fine, full, fully evolved colour. Very lovely, very fragrant, velvety-smooth nose. Lots of very lovely fruit. Still very, very fresh. Medium-full body. Good backbone and intensity. Marvellous class. Splendid harmony. Long, lingering finish. Very lovely.